Landscape scenic values. Protection and management from a spatial planning perspective

The aesthetic dimension distinguishes the concept of “landscape” from other concepts such as “environment” and “territory”, and is a recurrent justification for conserving both natural and cultural landscapes. However, scenic beauty remains particularly difficult to define and protect under specific regulations. Moreover, the topic is seldom dealt with in spatial planning literature and practice. This lack of a systematic approach severely limits the capacity of public administrations to protect and enhance scenic resources. The paper highlights the need for further research into technical tools and suggests a number of perspectives which call for international collaboration. As a worked example of how planning can deal with scenic resources, an Italian case is illustrated, the Piedmont Region’s “Guidelines for the analysis, protection and enhancement of the landscape scenic characters”. The guidelines focus on the protection of visual relationships, which connect designated heritage assets and outstanding features with their settings and the area as a whole. The implementation measures within the planning regulatory system are discussed, as well as the role of different actors, planning levels and phases

Visual Landscape Research in Sustainable Urban and Landscape Planning. Special Issue

How can we comprehend the “face of the landscape” and its visual perception? Furthermore, how can we make this knowledge applicable to landscape planning, design, and management? This Special Issue focuses on visual landscape research, in particular addressing approaches and methods for visual landscape assessment and their applications. Topics range from landscape preferences assessment, visibility analysis and visual impact analysis, to design principles and strategies

The 'Corona Verde' Strategic Plan: an integrated vision for protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural heritage

The ‘Corona Verde' [Green Crown] Strategic Plan is a net of ecological corridors, greenways, rural areas and UNESCO Sites, including all the open spaces in the metropolitan area of Turin (Italy). Its main goal is to link together policies for nature, landscape and cultural heritage, creating a new and alternative vision of the territory, based on the quality of the environment and of life. Since 2000, when the project started, more than €23 million have been invested by the European Union and the Piedmont Region, and, now, the first results can be analysed. Corona Verde introduces innovative approaches to environmental and urban strategies and in governance processes

Challenges in landscape planning: the rural-urban interface

Peri-urban, and rur-urban categories emerged in the last decades. Functional linkages and conflicts between urban and rural areas can be found in peri-urban areas. Recent policies by UN, OECD, EU aim at creating 'Rural-Urban Partnerships’ as an integrated approach to economic development, by strengthening national and regional development planning. The paper discuss how landscape planning can offer spatial solutions in metropolitan areas, with particular reference to the concept of Green Infrastructure, and illustrate a range of implementation tools. A case study in Japan, Nishi-Tokyo, provide further insights on actual challenges for conserving urban farmlands in metropolitan areas and shrinking cities

GIS-based visual analysis for planning and designing historic urban landscapes

Visibility and scenic landscape analysis is an important field of study with direct implications in urban and regional landscape planning and management. More specifically, GIS-based landscape visibility analysis can be a tool to protect, manage, and plan also historic urban landscapes, focusing on scenic and visual values. Using visibility maps it is possible to predict the visual impact of transformations, locate interventions on the basis of visual sensitivity, and protect landscape of natural beauty, cultural heritage and significant landmarks visible from selected viewpoints. Among the studies carried out in some cities in the world, in Italy there is a pilot project for the integration of GIS-based visibility analysis in planning decisions for the Piedmont cultural heritage. GIS-based landscape visibility analysis has been developed on different areas located in the Piedmont Region within the framework of the landscape planning activity developed by the MiBAC (Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo) and the Piedmont Region - with the scientific advice of the Politecnico di Torino. A specific study has been carried out in the city of Turin. Set in an international perspective, this paper will focus on describing these applications and on highlighting some problematic issues and possible uses of such techniques in the planning domain

Interpreting historic and cultural landscapes. Potential and risks in Geographical information Systems building for knowledge and management

The paper discusses potentials and limits of Geographical Information Systems in supporting the territorialization of multidisciplinary landscape analysis for the management of a World Heritage Site on the basis of several studies carried out about cultural landscapes in a spatial-planning perspective (Landscape Atlases, Regional Landscape Plans,…) On behalf of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, a multidisciplinary team of experts in historic features, built heritage and landscape studies has developed the analysis on the UNESCO serial Site “Residences of the Royal House of Savoy” to identify a strategic vision for the management of this complex system (12 properties, 7,000 hectares). Applying a landscape approach has implied: • developing a set of sectoral analysis sound from a disciplinary point of view but suitable to a direct comparison with existing lists of assets, which derive from several regulative and planning instruments; • extending expert analysis beyond the administrative boundaries of the WHL (property and buffer zone) to highlight fundamental relationships between the protected area and its territorial surroundings. The GIS must offer a response by: • returning experts’ multidisciplinary analysis without losing the additional interpretative level arising from a holistic view. • highlighting landscape historic, scenic and environmental relations trespassing traditional WHL properties facilitating connections with broader land management. The discussion concerns the methodological approach proposed for a GIS responding to landscape-oriented research calling for the legibility/consultation of the single mapped features within the complex system in which each one finds its proper meaning. Examples concerning multiple landscape relations between WHL Site and its landscape are given as well as issues concerning their geographical representation. Final considerations will stress both the benefits and the risks of the coexistence of different data collections (strictly descriptive or management-oriented) within the same web-GIS, potentially leading to ambiguity. The proposed method is addressed to all cases of protected sites management plans encompassing cultural landscapes

Searching for Green Patterns within Tokyo's Urban Fabric

This brief note identifies Tokyo's green spaces typology, at different scales, and comments, on one hand, on perception and role of nature within urban landscape, and, on the other hand, on sustanability of "green" solution

La gestione del paesaggio e la sua cura. Riflessioni a partire dai Piani di gestione dei siti Unesco = The management and upkeep of landscape. Considerations from the management plans for the Unesco World Heritage Sites

Il saggio rileva la crescente attenzione per le attività di gestione del paesaggio nelle politiche e nel dibattito di organismi internazionali, con riferimento tanto alle risorse culturali quanto a quelle naturali. Come attività tecnica, la gestione è però un campo ampio, poco definito. Il saggio ne indaga il significato usando come campione i piani di gestione dei Siti appartenenti al patrimonio dell’Umanità UNESCO, per i quali un piano di gestione è obbligatorio. La seconda parte del saggio approfondisce l’accezione di “cura” del paesaggio, evidenziandone rilevanza ed attualità con richiamo a casi esemplari

I Quaderni di Careggi- Fifth issue- Landscape Observatories

Having regard to Recommendation CM/Rec (2008)3 on the Guidelines for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention, “landscape observatories, centers and institutes” are one of the main instruments for the implementation of landscape policies (II.3.3). They facilitate the collection and exchange of information and study protocols between states and local communities. This issue of the Quaderni di Careggi presents an international overview of the activities of landscape observatories, a reflection on their mission and effectiveness with regard to the ELC objectives, and a reflection on the relationships between the different subjects, thanks to the participation of institutional bodies, public officials as well as researchers and representatives of civil society. It reflects part of the scientific contributions which will be presented during the V Careggi Seminar (Florence, 27-28th June 2013)